Many are having a snit fit, just like Sheldon (who doesn’t seem to own an EV himself and takes lots of fossil fueled flights to and from D.C., as well as over to climate change meetings)
We can put astronauts on Moon. We can put rovers on Mars. Please don’t tell me we can’t put great new purpose-built EVs in USPS.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) February 5, 2022
I mean, we could, but
(Jalopnik) The U.S. mail truck is something of a cultural institution, so the U.S. Postal Service’s job of replacing it with a modern alternative is a tough challenge. Now, the agency says it will cost an extra $3 billion to make those new mail trucks run on electricity.
Hey, what’s an extra $3 billion for them? Pocket change, right? It might be fine for urban mail carriers, but, not out in rural areas, or even spread out suburbs.
The USPS said that any electric truck should be able to cover 70 miles on a single charge. This, it said, would be sufficient to cover around 95 percent of its routes.
The truck should also be capable of carrying a payload of 2,207 lbs and pack in a 94 kilowatt hour battery, which can be fully charged overnight. If a truck that meets these demands can be built, the USPS has pledged to make “at least 10 percent” of its new fleet electric.
But, there is that whole cost thing. And, can they last as long as fossil fueled ones? Warmists are upset that USPS could have the fossil fueled ones for 20 years. How long would an EV one last? Quite frankly, I’m not sure why they didn’t consider a regular hybrid one. Because, in fairness, these gas powered ones get garbage MPG, about 8.6 with AC. 14.7 without. The constantly short drives and idles crush fuel economy. If you drove a route with your Civic or Corolla you’d be getting garbage MPG, as well. What would this kind of usage do to a pure EV range in practice?
A full BEV fleet would “require over $1 billion more in additional investment” the report warned. This would cover the cost of the vehicles, training, manuals, charging infrastructure and 20 years-worth of fuel and utility costs.
As such, a fully electric postal fleet would cost $11.6 billion over 20 years. In contrast, a fleet comprising 10 percent electric trucks and 90 percent newer ICE models would cost $9.3 billion over the next 20 years.
Have fun with EVs in the snow and cold. And hot.
BTW, they are ugly, and those windshields have to cost a lot to replace.
Read: Climate Cult Is Rather Upset That New USPS Trucks Will Be Fossil Fueled »